I know very well that this old and well-known expression is meant to help us accept physical or emotional pain that comes with working towards a goal, mostly when exercising. Unfortunately, people with chronic pain, like me, will give you a blank stare or even raise an eyebrow when we hear it.

You may have woken up in the middle of the night with discomfort in a muscle group, a very specific one, because you just joined a gym or started a new routine. I wake up feeling that same discomfort every time I change positions, left to right or right to left, during the whole night.

You may think I am kidding, because no one can live like that, every single night in their life, but I started feeling like this so long ago that I can’t remember what it was like to sleep through the night.

I do go back to sleep, don’t take me wrong, but my pain brings no gain.#ChronicPain #zebrasleep #Aches